Alex Box Stadium welcomed 11,094 fans for a back-and-forth game two between No. 2 LSU and unranked Mississippi State.
LSU jumped on the board in the bottom of the second inning on a walk from junior shortstop Jordan Thompson and sophomore third baseman Tommy White crossed home plate. The Tigers struggled to string hits together throughout the game and White had LSU’s only two hits through the first three innings.
LSU’s starting pitcher, junior right hander Ty Floyd, had a career night on the mound. In two separate innings, Floyd fired three straight strikeouts and finished with a new season and career high of 10 strikeouts.
His previous best was at Auburn with nine strikeouts. Floyd lasted six innings on 103 total pitches with one run allowed on five hits and one walk.
“Ty was great tonight,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. “What he demonstrated tonight will be a big boost to our team moving forward.”
Junior catcher Hayden Travinski bombed a solo home run over the left field bleachers in the fourth inning, his 5th of the season, and extended the lead to two runs.
In the top of the fifth inning, freshman shortstop David Mershon smacked a RBI stand up double off the left field wall for the Bulldogs’ first run.
Sophomore left hander Nate Ackenhausen relieved Floyd to start the seventh inning. Senior catcher Luke Hancock blasted a solo home run, his fifth of the season, to even the score at two runs apiece.
Sophomore right hander Colby Holcombe relieved the Bulldogs’ starter Cade Smith to start the bottom of the seventh inning. Smith stifled the LSU bats with 109 total pitches in six innings with seven strikeouts and allowed two runs on four hits with four walks. Holcombe hit the first two batters he faced with a pitch. Next, junior right hander KC Hunt relieved Holcombe.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, sophomore third baseman Tommy White lined an RBI single to right field with the bases loaded to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead. The next batter, Cade Beloso hit an RBI ground ball into a double play and increased LSU’s lead to two runs.
Sophomore right hander Thatcher Hurd relieved Ackenhausen, his 16th appearance, after one inning on the mound. Hurd was credited with the loss and his record drops to 3-2 on the season. He threw 17 pitches with five runs allowed on three hits.
Junior right fielder Kellum Clark smacked a clutch, two-run home run, his 11th of the season, into the left field bleachers. Clark evened the score at four runs apiece. Sophomore third baseman Slate Alford gave the Bulldogs the lead back with an RBI single.
It was a night of dominance on both sides for the Tigers Friday night in their 12-1 win over Mississippi State in seven innings.
After forfeiting the lead, junior left hander Riley Cooper relieved Hurd. Then, junior centerfielder Colton Ledbetter blasted a three-run home run to right field, his 12th of the season, and extended Mississippi State’s lead to four runs with one and a half innings of play left. The Bulldogs silenced the Tigers’ faithful with a six-run rally in the top of the eighth inning.
Alford recorded his second RBI of the game on a single in the top of the ninth inning and increased the advantage to five runs. Going into the bottom of the ninth inning, LSU had one more chance to put together a miraculous rally.
Junior right hander Aaron Nixon relieved Hunt and attempted to secure the win. Nixon only allowed one hit and squashed any hope of a comeback.
Hunt was credited with the win and his record on the season improves to 2-2. He threw 40 pitches in two innings with two strikeouts and allowed zero runs on two hits with two walks.
“We had a chance to bust the game open early tonight, but we didn’t do that,” said Johnson. “We still had a two-run lead in the eighth, at home, and you feel good about it, but we just didn’t execute. Mississippi State got some good swings, and it’s a credit to them.”
The Bulldogs improved to 25-24 on the year and 7-19 in SEC play while LSU dropped 39-11 and 17-8 in conference play. Game three, the decider in the series, is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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